Luật Doanh nghiệp là một lĩnh vực của pháp luật chuyên biệt quy định về các quy tắc và quyền lợi liên quan đến thành lập, quản lý, và hoạt động của doanh nghiệp. Mục tiêu chính của Luật Doanh nghiệp là tạo ra một môi trường kinh doanh công bằng và an toàn, đồng thời xác định các quy định để bảo vệ cả doanh nghiệp và cộng đồng.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM Independence - Freedom - Happiness - No 59/2020/QH14 Hanoi, June 17, 2020 LAW ON ENTERPRISES Pursuant to the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; The National Assembly promulgates the Law on Enterprises Chapter I GENERAL PROVISIONS Article Scope This Law provides for establishment, management, reorganization, dissolution and relevant activities of enterprises, including limited liability companies, joint stock companies, partnerships and sole proprietorships; groups of companies Article Regulated entities Enterprises Organizations and individuals relevant to establishment, management, reorganization, dissolution and relevant activities of enterprises Article Application of the Law on Enterprises and other laws In case there are other laws that provide for establishment, management, reorganization, dissolution and relevant activities of special enterprises, regulations of these laws shall apply Article Definitions For the purpose of this document, the terms below are construed as follows: “copy” means a copy extracted from master register or a copy that has been certified by a competent organization or compared to the original document “foreigner” means a person who has a foreign nationality according to his/her documents “shareholder” means the individual or organization that holds at least a share of a joint stock company “founding shareholder” means a shareholder that holds at least an ordinary share and has his/her signature in the list of shareholders that are also founder of the joint stock company “dividend” means a net profit on each share in cash or other assets A “company” can be a limited liability company, joint stock company or partnership A “limited liability company” can be a single-member limited liability company or multiplemember limited liability company “National Enterprise Registration Portal” means a web portal used for enterprise registration and access and publishing of enterprise registration “national enterprise registration database” means the collection of nationwide enterprise registration data 10 “enterprise” means an organization that has a proper name, assets, premises, is established or registered in accordance with law for business purposes 11 A “state-owned enterprise” means an enterprise more than 50% charter capital or voting shares of which is held by the State as prescribed in Article 88 of this Law 12 A “Vietnamese enterprise” means an enterprise that is registered in accordance with Vietnam’s law and has its headquarters located within Vietnam 13 “mailing address” means the address registered as the headquarters of an organization; the permanent residence, working place or another address of an individual that is registered as mailing address with an enterprise 14 “market value” of a stake or share means the price at which the stake or share is traded on the market at the nearest time, the price agreed on by the buyer and the seller, or the price determined by a valuation organization 15 “Certificate of Enterprise Registration” means a physical or electronic document bearing enterprise registration information provided for the enterprise by a business registration authority 16 “legal documents” of an individual include the ID card (old or new format), passport and other legal personal identification documents 17 “legal documents” of an enterprise include the Establishment Decision, Certificate of Enterprise Registration and equivalent documents 18 “capital contribution” means the contribution of capital as charter capital to establish a new company or contribution of additional capital to an existing company 19 “National Enterprise Registration Information System” includes the National Enterprise Registration Portal, national enterprise registration database, relevant databases and technical infrastructure 20 “valid application” means an application that contains adequate documents specified in this Law and all the documents are completed as prescribed by law 21 “business” or “business operation” means continuous execution of one, some or all stages including investment, manufacturing, sale or provision of services on the market for profit 22 “relatives” of a person include: the spouse, biological parents, adoptive parents, parents-inlaws, biological children, adopted children, children-in-law, biological siblings, siblings-in-law and biological siblings of the spouse 23 “related person” means any individual or organization that has a direct or indirect relationship with an enterprise in the following cases: a) The parent company, its executive and legal representative, and the person who has the power to designate the executive officer of the parent company; b) The subsidiary company, its executive and legal representative; c) Any individual, organization or group of individuals or organizations that can influence the enterprise’s operation through ownership, acquisition of shares/stakes or making corporal decisions; d) The enterprise’s executive, legal representative, controllers; dd) Spouses, biological parents, adoptive parents, parents-in-laws, biological children, adopted children, children-in-law, biological siblings, siblings-in-law and biological siblings of spouses of the executive officer, legal representative, controllers, members/partners and shareholders holding the controlling stakes/shares; e) Any individual that is the authorized representative of the companies or organizations mentioned in Point a, b and c of this Clause; g) Any enterprise in which an individual, company or organization mentioned in Points a, b, c, d, dd and e of this Clause has the controlling interest 24 “executive of an enterprise means the owner of a sole proprietorship, a general partner of a partnership, chairperson or member of the Member/Partner Assembly, President of a company, President or member of the Board of Directors, Director/General Director, or holder of another managerial position prescribed in the company’s charter 25 “founder” means the individual or organization that establishes or contributes capital to establish an enterprise 26 “foreign investor” means an individual or organization as defined by the Law on Investment 27 “stake” means the total value of assets that a member/partner has contributed or promises to contribute to a limited liability company/partnership “holding” means the ratio of a member/partner’s stake to the charter capital of the limited liability company/partnership 28 “public products and services” are essential products and services of a country, area or community, thus have to be maintained by the State for assurance of common interests or defense and security, and the costs of provision of which under market mechanism are hardly recoverable 29 “member” or “partner” means the individual or organization that holds part or all of charter capital of a limited liability company or partnership 30 A “partner” of a partnership can be a general partner or limited partner 31 “reorganization” of an enterprise means the full division, partial division, consolidation, acquisition or conversion of an enterprise 32 “foreign organization” means an organization established overseas under the foreign country’s laws 33 “voting capital” means the stake or share that endows the holder the right to vote on the issues within the jurisdiction of the Board of Members or General Meeting of Shareholders 34 “charter capital” means the total value of assets that have been contributed or promised by the members/partners/owners when the limited liability company or partnership is established; or the total of nominal values of the sold or subscribed shares when a joint stock company is established Article Protection of enterprises and their owners by the State The State recognizes the long-term existence and development of the types of enterprises prescribed in this Law; ensures equality of enterprises before the law regardless of their types of business and economic sector; recognizes lawful profitability of business operation The State recognizes and protects the rights to ownership of assets, capital, income, other lawful rights and interests of enterprises and their owners Lawful assets and capital of enterprises and their owners shall not be nationalized or administratively confiscated Unless strictly necessary, the State may purchase or requisition assets of enterprises, in which case these enterprises shall be paid or reimbursed for in accordance with regulations of law on purchase and requisitioning of assets and in a manner that ensures the enterprises’ interests and non-discrimination among the types of business Article Internal political organizations, socio-political organizations and employee representative organizations of enterprises The internal political organization, socio-political organization and employee representative organization of an enterprise shall operate in accordance with the Constitution, the law and the enterprise’s charter Enterprises shall respect and not obstruct the establishment of internal political organizations, socio-political organizations and employee representative organizations; must not obstruct participation of their employees in such organizations Article Rights of enterprises Every enterprise has the right to: Freely engage in any business line that is not banned by law Freely run the business and choose a type of business organization; choose business lines, area of operation and type of operation; change the scale of business and business lines Choose the method of mobilizing, distributing and using capital Freely find markets, customers and enter into contracts Export and import Hire employees in accordance with employment laws Apply technological advances to improve business efficiency; have intellectual property rights protected in accordance with intellectual property laws Acquire, use, dispose of their assets Reject unlawful requests for provision of resources from other organizations and individuals 10 File complaints and participate in proceedings as prescribed by law 11 Other rights prescribed by law Article Obligations of enterprises Maintain the fulfillment of conditions for conducting restricted business lines and business lines restricted to foreign investors (hereinafter referred to as “restricted business lines”) prescribed by law throughout the course of business operation Apply for enterprise registration; register changes to enterprise registration information; publish information about the establishment and operation of the enterprise; submit reports and fulfill other obligations prescribed by this Law Take responsibility for the accuracy of information in the enterprise registration application and reports; promptly rectify incorrect information if found Organize accounting works; pay taxes and fulfill other financial obligations prescribed by law Protect lawful rights and interests of employees as prescribed by law; not discriminate against or insult employees; not mistreat or force employees to work; not employ minors against the law; enable employees to improve their vocational skills through training; buy social insurance, unemployment insurance, health insurance and other insurance for employees as prescribed by law Other obligations prescribed by law Article Rights and obligations of enterprises providing public products and services An enterprise providing public products and services shall: Have the rights and obligations specified in Article 7, Article and relevant regulations of this Law Be reimbursed in accordance with bidding laws or collect payments as prescribed by competent authorities Have appropriate time to provide products/services to recoup investment and make reasonable profit Provide products/services with adequate quantity, good quality and on schedule at the prices imposed by competent authorities Ensure fairness and convenience for customers Take legal responsibility for the quantity, quality, supply conditions and prices for their products/services Article 10 Criteria, rights and obligations of social enterprises A social enterprise shall: a) Be registered in accordance with this Law; b) Operate for the purposes of resolving social and environmental issues for public interests; c) Use at least 51% of the annual post-tax profit for re-investment to achieved registered targets In addition to the rights and obligations of an enterprise prescribed in this Law, a social enterprise also has the following rights and obligations: a) The owner or executive of a social enterprise shall be enabled to obtain relevant licenses and certificates prescribed by law; b) A social enterprise may raise and receive donations from individuals, enterprises, nongovernmental organizations and other Vietnamese and foreign organizations to cover its administrative expenses and operating costs; c) Adhere to the objectives and fulfill the conditions specified in Point b and Point c Clause of this Article throughout its course of operation; b) Do not use donations for purposes other than covering administrative expenses and operating costs and resolving the social and environmental issues registered by the enterprise; dd) When receiving donations and aids, submit annual reports on the enterprise’s operation to a competent authority; Inform the competent authority when an social or environmental objective is terminated or profit is not used for re-investment in accordance with Point b and Point c Clause of this Article The State shall adopt policies to encourage and assist in development of social enterprises The Government shall elaborate this Article Article 11 Document retention An enterprise, depending on its type of business, shall retain the following documents: a) The charter, internal rules and regulations; the member/partner/shareholder register; b) The certificate of Industrial property rights; the certificate of registration of product/service quality; other licenses and certificates; c) Documents proving the enterprise’s ownership of its assets; d) Votes, vote counting records, minutes of meetings of the Board of Members/Partners, General Meeting of Shareholders, Board of Directors; the enterprise’s decisions; dd) The prospectus for offering or listing securities; e) Reports of the Board of Controllers, verdicts of inspecting authorities and audit organizations; g) Accounting books, accounting records and annual financial statements The documents mentioned in Clause of this Article shall be retained at the enterprise’s headquarters or another location specified in the enterprise’s charter for a period of time prescribed by law Article 12 The enterprise’s legal representative The enterprise’s legal representative is the person that, on behalf of the enterprise, exercises and performs the rights and obligations derived from the enterprise’s transactions, acts as the plaintiff, defendant or person with relevant interests and duties before in court, arbitration, and performs other rights and obligations prescribed by law A limited liability company or joint stock company may have one or more than one legal representative The enterprise’s charter shall specify the quantity, position, rights and obligations of its legal representatives In case there are more than one legal representative, the charter shall specify the rights and obligations of each of them Otherwise, each of the legal representatives shall fully representative the enterprise and take joint responsibility for any damage to the enterprise as prescribed by civil laws and relevant laws An enterprise shall have at least one legal representative residing in Vietnam Whenever this representative leaves Vietnam, he/she has to authorize another Vietnamese resident, in writing, to act as the legal representative, in which case the authorizing person is still responsible for the authorized person’s performance In case the authorizing person has not returned to Vietnam when the letter of authorization mentioned in (3) expires and does not have any further actions: a) In case the enterprise is a sole proprietorship, the authorized person shall continue acting as the enterprise’s legal representative until the authorizing person returns; b) In case the enterprise is a limited liability company, joint stock company or partnership, the authorized person shall continue acting as the enterprise’s legal representative until the authorizing person returns or until the enterprise’s owner, Board of Members/Partners or Board of Directors designates another legal representative In case the only legal representative of an enterprise she is not present in Vietnam for more than 30 days without authorizing another person to act as the enterprise’s legal representative, or is dead, missing, facing criminal prosecution, kept in temporary detention, serving an imprisonment sentence, serving an administrative penalty in a correctional institution or rehabilitation center, has limited legal capacity or is incapacitated, has difficulty controlling his/her own behaviors, is banned by the court from holding certain positions or doing certain works, the enterprise’s owner, Board of Members/Partners or Board of Directors shall appoint another legal representative, except for the cases specified in Clause of this Article In a two-member limited liability company, if the member who is the company’s legal representative is dead, missing, facing criminal prosecution, kept in temporary detention, serving an imprisonment sentence, serving an administrative penalty in a correctional institution or rehabilitation center, making getaway; has limited legal capacity or is incapacitated, has difficulty controlling his/her own behaviors, is banned by the court from holding certain positions or doing certain works, the other member shall obviously assume the position of the company’s legal representative until the Board of Members issues a new decision on the company’s legal representative The court and other proceeding authorities are entitled to appoint the legal representative who participates in proceedings as prescribed by law Article 13 Responsibilities of the enterprise’s legal representative An enterprise’s legal representative shall: a) Exercise and perform his/her rights and obligations in an honest and prudent manner to protect the enterprise’s lawful interests; b) Be loyal to the enterprise’s interests; not abuse his/her power and position or use the enterprise’s information, secrets, business opportunities and assets for personal gain or serve any other organization’s or individual’s interests; c) Promptly and fully provide the enterprise with information about the enterprises that he/she or his/her related person owns or has shares/stakes in as prescribed in this Law The enterprise’s representative shall be personally responsible for any damage to the enterprise within the limits of responsibilities specified in Clause of this Article Article 14 Authorized representatives of the owner/members/partners/shareholders that are organizations Authorized representatives of the owner/members/partners/shareholders that are organizations shall be authorized in writing by the owner/members/partners/shareholders in accordance with this Law Unless otherwise prescribed by the charter, the designation of the authorized representative shall comply with the following regulations: a) An organization that is a member of a multiple-member limited liability company and holds at least 35% of charter capital may designate up to 03 authorized representatives; b) An organization that is a shareholder of a joint stock company and holds at least 10% of ordinary shares may designate up to 03 authorized representatives In case the owner/members/partners/shareholders designate more than one authorized representative, the holding represented by each of them shall be specified Otherwise, the total holding shall be equally divided among the authorized representatives The document designating the authorized representative shall be informed to the company, be effective on the date it is received by the company and contain the following information: a) Names, enterprise identification (EID) numbers, headquarters addresses of the owner/members/partners/shareholders; b) Quantity of authorized representatives and their holdings; c) Full name, mailing address, nationality, legal document number of each authorized representative; d) The beginning date and duration of authorization of each authorized representative; dd) Full names and signatures of the legal representatives of the owner/members/partners/shareholders and of the authorized representatives An authorized representative shall satisfy the following requirements: a) The authorized representative is not an entity specified in Clause Article 17 of this Law; b) Members/partners/shareholders of state-owned enterprises prescribed in Point b Clause Article 88 of this Law must not designate a relative of the executive and the person having the power to designate the executive as representative of another company; c) Other requirements specified in the company’s charter Article 15 Responsibilities of authorized representatives of the owner/members/partners/shareholders that are organizations Authorized representatives of the owner/members/partners/shareholders shall exercise and perform their rights and obligations in accordance with this Law All limits imposed by the owner/members/partners/shareholders to the authorized representatives’ performance at the Board of Members/Partners or General Meeting of Shareholders shall not apply to any third party Authorized representatives have the responsibility to attend all meetings of the Board of Members/Partners or General Meeting of Shareholders; exercise and perform the authorized rights and obligations in an honest and prudent manner to protect lawful interest of the owner/members/partners/shareholders that designated them